Verbs (V)

This chapter discusses verbs: words that name actions. A complete verb may comprise one or more words. Finite verbs function as the head of verb phrases, which function as predicates in sentences or dependent clauses. Non-finite verbs (participles and infinitives) may function as heads of phrases. Participles may also function in complete finite verbs, along with auxiliary and semi-auxiliary verbs. Finite verb forms are marked for tense (present, past); modality (indicative, modal, imperative, subjunctive); aspect (perfect, progressive, imperfect, habitual); and voice (active, passive). Present tense, indicative mood, Ø-aspect, and active voice are the unmarked features of verbs. All other features are marked by changes in spelling (e.g. swim , swam ); inflectional suffixes (e.g. baking , baked ); or by auxiliary or semi-auxiliary verbs (e.g. be , have , will , hafta , start to ). “Tense” marks the order of events in the discourse. “Modality” marks whether an event is actual or hypothetical. “Aspect” marks duration of an event in time. “Passive voice” shifts the sentence focus from the agent (the doer of the action) to the patient (the recipient). Because of the many irregularities in the English verb system, it exhibits a great diversity of non-White-Mainstream forms.